Noisy Ghosts
by Xiaolink Volumen
Summary: When a ghost makes its presence known in a house, how will the fifteen occupants react and keep their sanity? Read to find out! AnsemSephiroth, AxelZexion, MAYBE some implied SoraRiku. Maybe. Rating upped for a bloody good reason.
1. Chapter 1

… … …Ansem/Sephiroth, Axel/Zexion, and a hint of Sora/Riku. Sue me. On second thought, please don't. … … …

-

Day One: When Ghosts Come A-Knockin'… 

Ansem sighed as he flipped through the channels, late one Sunday. He and Sephiroth were alone that day, everyone else out shopping.

Ansem and Sephiroth lived in a huge, rambling house with thirteen others. There were only five bedrooms, so he and Sephiroth slept in the attic. But things still got cramped occasionally, leading to chafed shoulders, chafed tempers, and bruised egos. Ansem and Sephiroth didn't mind the sleeping situation, however. The two were lovers anyway. The others were usually less than content, except Axel and Zexion somehow. Everyone had been certain they would complain loudly and frequently, but they never did.

That particular day, Kairi, Yuffie, and Aerith had all decided to get groceries. Instantly and predictably, Axel and Zexion had started whining.

"You guys always get that shitty health food stuff!" Axel complained.

"None of us have the iron stomachs for it! At least let me'n Axel come so you'll get some real food," Zexion insisted.

"No way in hell!" Marluxia said suddenly.

"If you guys are in charge of what they buy at the grocery store, they'll come back with either boxes and boxes of sugary cereal that'll take the roofs of our mouths or way-too-spicy foods from the Mexican grocer that none of us can eat," Vexen said.

"Not our fault you guys have tender mouths," Zexion said nastily.

"I happen to have a cat's tongue," Vexen pouted, nose in the air.

Leon, Sora and Riku started snickering. The others rounded on them.

"Since you three think it's so damn funny, you can come!" Yuffie said angrily. "Besides, we'll need Leon's car and he's the only one who can drive it."

"So why can't the you learn to drive stick?" Leon snapped.

"I'm left-handed," Yuffie said. (1)

"But why all three of us?" Sora cried.

"Are you making Larxene and Namine go?" Riku said.

Larxene shrugged. "We were gonna go anyway," she said. Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other, and decided that it was better to stay quiet.

As the large group piled into Leon's microbus, Cloud came running after them and leapt in.

"Don't leave me with those crazies!" he said, squeezing in between Larxene and Axel.

So Ansem and Sephiroth, having kept their mouths shut, evaded the shopping expedition. Sephiroth was in the attic reading and listening to music. Strains of it drifted down to Ansem, sitting on the sofa.

"Multicolored microbus/ plowin' over rugged terrain…" 

Ansem snickered as he thought of Leon and the others crammed into a microbus. Then he sighed and turned off the TV. Never anything on TV on Sundays, just televangelists and infomercials. He chucked the remote to the side, and leaned his head against the back of the sofa.

The others still didn't know about him and Sephiroth. They had all lived in the same house for a couple of years now, but Ansem and Sephiroth had never said a word. Most likely a wise choice. Axel and Zexion would never give them a moment's peace, Cloud would stare shamelessly, the others would too… better to keep quiet about it. But still, the fifteen of them were housemates. They had a right to know, didn't they? A cry jerked him out of his thoughts.

He stood as Sephiroth came barreling down the stairs, nearly tripping on the last few. He smashed into Ansem and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He was shaking.

"Okay Seph, I know you love me and all, but don't you think you're being a little strange?" Ansem said as Sephiroth pressed closer to him.

"I s-saw something," Sephiroth stammered. "S-something weird."

"Everything's weird in this house," Ansem said as he tried to calm his agitated lover. "Consider who we live with." He stroked Sephiroth's hair, and Sephiroth slowly calmed. The two sat down on the sofa, though Sephiroth continued to cling to Ansem. "Tell me about it."

Sephiroth shook his head, and clung even tighter to Ansem. Ansem suppressed a sigh, and held Sephiroth. "Hey Ansem? Can we bunk in with Axel and Zexion tonight?" Sephiroth said in a small voice.

Ansem almost refused, but the look on Sephiroth's face changed his mind. "Sure, if they'll let us," he said. "But you know, we haven't told them about… you know…"

"They won't mind. I think they're the same way," Sephiroth replied, snuggling up to Ansem. Ansem blinked, then thought about it. That would make sense, considering how they hadn't complained about the sleeping arrangements, though they complained about everything else. Ansem leaned his head on Sephiroth's, and stroked his hair with one hand. (2)

The others came home about two hours later, laden with bags. By that time, Ansem and Sephiroth had retreated to their room.

"I wish you'd tell me what you saw," Ansem said, his arms around Sephiroth. Sephiroth shook his head again. He rested his head against Ansem's bare shoulder.

"I can't," he whispered. "I just can't." Ansem didn't say anything, just held him tighter. His eyes widened as they lit on a misty white mass in the corner. But he didn't say a word, just closed his eyes and prayed for the thing to go away, muscles tensing. Sephiroth felt him tensing up. "What is it?"

Ansem opened one eye, and was relieved to see that the apparition had gone. He sighed, and kissed Sephiroth's forehead. "Nothing, love," he said. "Nothing at all." Sephiroth kissed him, and stroked his hair. Ansem leaned up against him, holding him lovingly. Sephiroth buried his face in the curve of Ansem's neck.

"I wish I could tell you what I saw," he whispered. "I hate keeping secrets from you, Ansem, I really do. But I… I…" He fell silent. He looked so utterly forlorn that Ansem felt immediately sorry for him. He hugged Sephiroth tightly.

"Then don't say anything," he murmured as he pulled the covers up over their naked forms.

Several hours later, after asking Axel if they could sleep in their room, Sephiroth and Ansem were sitting on the floor, waiting for Axel and Zexion to return from wherever they had gone. The troublesome two returned furtively, arms full of large bags of candy. Axel checked the hall, and shut the door hastily. He and Zexion hid the bags in the closet, behind a chest of drawers. Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other and suppressed sniggers with difficulty.

"Right, now that that's done," Axel said, dusting off his hands. "It wasn't easy getting that stuff, you know. Gotta keep it hidden from Yuffie, otherwise she'll take it."

Zexion hopped onto the large bed and sat down. "Sorry you two get the floor," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Ansem shrugged. "We don't care, honestly."

"Can we tell you guys something?" Sephiroth began tentatively. "You gotta swear not to tell anyone else, especially the girls, Larxene and Namine included."

Axel and Zexion exchanged looks.

"You two are… you know… aren't you?" Axel said, crossing his fingers. Ansem blinked.

"How did you…?"

"Cuz me'n Axel are the same," Zexion said promptly. "We were wondering when you two were gonna tell anyone. Not that we're particularly open about it ourselves."

Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other. "Well, that makes thing simpler," Ansem said.

"Why did you two wanna sleep in here anyway?" Axel asked.

Ansem looked at Sephiroth, who squirmed uncomfortably. "Classified," he said. Axel shrugged, and turned out the light.

-

A few hours later, Ansem awoke to Sephiroth's face very close to his, looking pale and frightened in the dark room. 'It's back,' he mouthed, pointing to a corner. Ansem followed his gaze, and saw that the misty mass was back, though it now vaguely resembled a torso, with half an arm. Ansem fought the urge to cry out. His hand sought Sephiroth's, and he gripped it tightly. The torso moved closer, waving the half-arm. Ansem and Sephiroth were locked in place. The torso came within an inch of their faces, bent in the middle, and faded from view.

Ansem glanced at Axel and Zexion. They were asleep in each other's arms. They hadn't seemed to notice anything. Ansem and Sephiroth moved closer together, and hugged each other tightly. They fell asleep that way, still sitting up.

-

Yup, there you have it. I was reading a book by Hans Holzer when the muses came and attacked. They left my mind for dead and ran away, like they always do, the bastards… Especially that Andante. I'm watchin' you, mister! (Shakes fist at muse)

(1) Do microbuses have a stick shift? Oh well. And it kinda looked like Yuffie was left-handed in FF7. Either that or I'm seeing things.

(2) Don't they make the cutest picture, folks? Kawaii! XD


	2. Chapter 2

Day Two: …Don't Go A-Runnin'… 

Sephiroth and Ansem came down to breakfast late, stretching to work the kinks out of their backs.

"Well, look who's up," Yuffie said nastily, hunched over her coffee cup, which read 'Shut up and pour!' "Morning, Sleeping Beauties." Ansem glared at her as he and Sephiroth sat down between Marluxia and Namine.

"Nothing much left," Leon said, tossing some slices of toast at them.

"Why didn't you save some for us?" Sephiroth grumbled, munching on the toast. "Or at least wake us?" Leon shrugged.

"We were gonna wake you, but Axel and Zexion said not to," Riku said, almost apologetically. Ansem glared at them.

"Why were you guys in their room anyway?" Aerith asked. Ansem didn't reply, but Sephiroth promptly said, "Drafts." Aerith shrugged and returned to her book. Cloud started lobbing bits of cereal at her.

"Quit reading at the table," he said. Aerith glared at him, and chucked bacon rinds at him. The others left the table before it developed into a full-flung food fight. (1)

Ansem and Sephiroth headed up to their room, wary of the thing that had suddenly started appearing to them. They found their room empty, and sighed. Ansem sank down on the bed.

"What is this thing, Sephiroth?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Sephiroth said mournfully as he sat down next to Ansem. They remained silent for a few minutes. Then the sound of crashing plates resounded, but they didn't do anything, expecting to hear Yuffie yelling at Zexion for dropping a plate. What they heard instead was a scream.

"Yaaaahh! What the hell is that?"

It was not Yuffie's angry voice, but Aerith's frightened one. Ansem and Sephiroth sprang up and raced down to the kitchen, fearing the apparition had put in a return appearance. They arrived to find Aerith back up against the sink, a horrified expression on her face and several shattered dishes next to her. Ansem whipped around in the direction she was staring in, but saw nothing. Cloud arrived then and wrapped his arms around her as she started sobbing.

"What happened?" Vexen asked. By now everyone had crowded around her. She was still on the floor, and Cloud still held her.

"I don't know," Aerith sniffled. "I was putting dishes in the sink when I heard someone say my name. I turned, and this horrible thing was standing there! I don't know what it was. It looked like a monk with his hood pulled up. It raised its arms, but it didn't have hands! Just bloody stumps!" She broke down sobbing again. Vexen, Ansem, Sephiroth, Yuffie, and Leon all moved into the dining room. The others were still trying to comfort Aerith.

"Well?" Vexen said.

"Well what?" Yuffie replied.

"What the hell happened?" Vexen snapped.

"Aerith saw something that scared her. Badly," Leon said.

"Yes, but can she be believed?" Vexen questioned. "Have any of us seen anything? No."

"Are you saying she made it up?" Yuffie snarled. "Why would Aerith make that up? And don't say she's mad," she warned as Vexen opened his mouth to speak. "Aerith is very sane, which is more than we can say for you."

"So what did she see, then? A ghost?" Vexen scoffed. The three began arguing heatedly. Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other.

"Hey! HEY!" Ansem yelled. The others stopped arguing and looked at them. "We've seen something too."

Vexen snorted, but Yuffie gave him a look and he didn't say anything.

"I didn't see what she saw. It probably disappeared when she yelled. However, I did see something in our room yesterday. A sort of foggy thing, with no real shape. Then, last night, both Sephiroth and me saw something that resembled a human torso with no arms or legs in Axel and Zexion's room. Sephiroth saw something as well, but he hasn't spoken of it," Ansem said, looking at Sephiroth.

"It was the same thing we saw in Axel and Zexion's room," he said.

"Ridiculous!" Vexen cried. "You all honestly think this place is haunted? You're all mad!"

And with that, he stormed out of the room.

After that, things quieted down for about a week. Then, on a Saturday evening, Larxene heard an earsplitting whistle down in the basement. Hands pressed over her ears, she ventured down to the basement. She flicked on the light. Numerous cloth-covered furniture items sat where they had been left. Nothing was different. Larxene frowned; then realized the whistling stopped.

She took her hands off her ears and moved farther into the basement. She looked around, and saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned, and saw something flitting behind a shelf. She moved over to investigate, and saw a pair of eyeballs floating in midair. She screamed, and raced back upstairs. She promptly collided with Marluxia, who got the story out of her.

Sora, Riku, and Sephiroth all headed over to the shelves in question, gripping their respective weapons tightly. Sephiroth heaved the shelves back; the others braced themselves, and saw…

…Absolutely nothing.

Nonetheless, everyone was tense, wary of a high-pitched whistling. No one ever went down in the basement. Ansem and Sephiroth started keeping logs of the strange activity. However, nothing more happened for some time.

A month later, Namine went to feed her hamsters. As she went to turn on the light in the room she shared with Larxene, she heard a high-pitched keening. Warily, she flicked on the light and screamed.

Three of her four hamsters were dead, necks broken and abdomens torn open. The remaining one had a deep gash in its side and was bleeding profusely. The cage was locked, and only Namine knew where the key was, as she hid it in different places all the time.

Namine hurriedly grabbed the surviving hamster, and rushed downstairs, demanding that someone drive her to the vet. Aerith instantly got up and grabbed the keys to her Chevy. Even Vexen looked shaken as he examined the dead hamsters.

"Someone must've… must've killed them," he said uncertainly. "Someone in this house."

Larxene slapped him. "Who would've killed her hamsters, you oaf?" she shrieked. "None of us had anything against her! None of us know where the key is!" She and Vexen didn't speak for some time. Ansem and Sephiroth wrote it down.

Aerith and Namine returned a few hours later. The hamster was sleeping, via sedative. It had stitches in its side. However, a few days later, Namine found it flopping in the cage as though something was strangling it. She screamed, and the hamster squeaked as its neck snapped.

She raced downstairs and flung herself into Larxene's arms.

"I'm not sleeping in there anymore!" she proclaimed after telling her story. Vexen had remained silent throughout the entire thing.

The next day, Ansem found Marluxia lying in a heap at the floor of the stairs. He hurriedly called Sephiroth over, and the two got him to the hospital in Sephiroth's pickup.

"I saw this light, and I tried to catch it to see what was it was. It moved down the stairs, so I followed, but something tripped me and I fell down the stairs. I hit my head on the floor, and that's all I remember," Marluxia said once he regained consciousness, sitting up in his hospital bed. The surgeon had diagnosed him with a mild concussion and a cracked skull, as well as a sprained ankle.

"It's like something grabbed his ankle and twisted it," the doctor said, shaking his head. Marluxia remained at the hospital that night.

The next morning, Vexen volunteered to bring Marluxia back, after admitting he had no idea what was causing these occurrences.

"I never found Marluxia prone to extravagant tales," he said. "I don't doubt his word. That, coupled with the doctor's report, leads me to believe something is happening in this house. But I do not think it's ghosts, and I will hold firm to that until proven otherwise!"

The next day, something unseen dislocated Vexen's arm by pulling on it.

-

Hehehe… this is just too much fun to write… Wow, they have funny cars. Sephiroth has a pickup, Aerith has a Chevy, and Leon has a microbus! XD

(1) Say that four times fast!


	3. Chapter 3

Day Three: …Don't Ignore 'Em… 

"Ansem?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell's been going on?"

Sephiroth and Ansem were back in their own room. Sephiroth had his arm over Ansem's chest, and Ansem held his hand. Ansem moved closer to Sephiroth, and huddled against him.

"I don't know, love," Ansem said, closing his eyes as Sephiroth wrapped his arms around him. "I just don't know."

The next day, after the others had gone shopping again, Ansem took the phonebook and began flipping through the yellow pages. He looked down the page, and he saw, crammed between an ad for "Parakeets for sale" and another for "Parcel Delivery" was a tiny ad.

"Paranormal Investigator. ESP, OBE, Ghosts, and former life reports. Ask for Sakkaku Giman. (410)-272-6667 Call between seven AM and noon."

Ansem grabbed a phone, and dialed the number.

"'Allo, Sakkaku 'ere. 'Ow can Oi 'elp ye?"

"Yes, what are your rates?"

"D'pends. Wot'm Oi investigatin'?"

"A poltergeist, presumably."

"Roight then. Oi'll come ovah in around an hour. 'Ow's that?"

"That's fine."

"Roight. Moi rates work d'pendin' on th' 'auntin'. If ya got a bad one, s'more 'spensive. Iffen it i'n't too bad, not very 'spensive a' all. Wot's yer address?"

"724 Elm."

"Roight. In an hour, then."

The speaker hung up. Ansem blinked. That had been odd. He shrugged.

An hour later, Ansem was sitting on the sofa watching TV with Sephiroth, when they heard a crash.

"Shit!"

Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other, and stood to see what had happened. A girl with brown hair and wide, round glasses was kicking at a downed Vespa, which looked thoroughly ancient. She wore a pewter ankh on a short chain, and a Celtic cross on a much longer chain. She had a large bag on her back. Her eyes were blue, with a strange shade of what appeared to be yellowish-greenish-silver around the pupils.

"Stupid thing!" she snarled as she kicked it. "Worthless piece o' cow dung! Always bloody breakin' down! Shit!" She turned her strange blue eyes and saw Ansem and Sephiroth. "Coo!" she cried. "Can eithah o' you two visions tell me where uh, 724 Elm is?"

"You're there," Ansem said bemusedly. Then something occurred to him. "You wouldn't Sakkaku Giman, would you?"

"Who?" Sephiroth asked. The girl bowed to them.

"Aye, tha' Oi am!" she said. "Sakkaku Giman, Cockney na'ive tho' la'ely o' Bal'imore an' paranormal inves'iga'ah! Pardon moi rough language o' earlier." She looked Ansem and Sephiroth up and down. "Cor, Oi lucked ou' on this case, tha' Oi did!"

"'Paranormal Investigator?'" echoed Sephiroth doubtfully. He turned to Ansem. "The others are gonna kill you, you know."

"I know," Ansem said, warily watching Sakkaku, who was looking at them with a strange look. The unlikely trio went back in the house, Sakkaku leaving her Vespa on the street.

"No one'll nick that piece o' shit, iffen ye follow me," she said in response to their questioning look. She scratched the tip of her nose, and pushed up her glasses. "Roight. 'Ow long yew tew been livin' 'ere?"

"A couple of years, we think. About two," Sephiroth answered.

"Around thirteen others live here as well, but they're out at the moment," Ansem said.

"Oi'm no' surprised. Big 'ouse. Noice, too," Sakkaku said, looking around. "So… tell me 'bout wot's been 'appenin' so's Oi know wot Oi'm up against."

Ansem and Sephiroth roughly outlined the events of the past two months. Sakkaku listened intently, especially to the account of what had happened to Vexen.

"So, 'e pronounced 'imself a skeptic, an' 'e go' 'is arm yanked?" she said. Ansem nodded. "Hmm… Ye've been livin' 'ere two years ye say?"

"About."

"Hmm… Tell me 'bout th' eyeballs again."

Ansem and Sephiroth had to repeat their story at least twice, because Sakkaku insisted that she hear every minute detail several times. Then she reached into her bag, and pulled out a notebook. In this, she recorded everything Sephiroth and Ansem had told her about, along with the names of the house's other inhabitants.

She poked around in all the rooms that had been involved, Ansem and Sephiroth watching bemusedly. She tapped walls, moved furniture with Sephiroth's help, and investigated everything she came across.

"Well, Oi think Oi migh' 'ave ter bring in a medium," she said, standing up after checking out the base of the cabinet that Larxene had seen the eyes behind. Sakkaku dusted off her hands, and headed back upstairs.

"A medium?" Sephiroth asked, glowering at Ansem. "How expensive is this going to end up being?"

"No' very. Yew gots an interestin' case 'ere. Oi 'aven't 'ad an interestin' one in ages!"

Sephiroth cast a doubtful look at Ansem. Sakkaku headed out the door, and picked up her Vespa. She kicked it a few times, and it roared into life. She grinned, and drove off down the street. Sephiroth turned to Ansem.

"You're mad," he proclaimed. Then he kissed Ansem. "But I love you anyway."

"Not here, you fool," Ansem said.

"Inside then."

-

Ansem awoke in Sephiroth's arms. Somehow, they'd managed to make it to the attic before going at it like rabbits. Ansem turned his head, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been a few hours since Sakkaku had left. Ansem shifted slightly, and groaned. He'd be feeling those few hours tomorrow. But Sephiroth was the sort where if you didn't keep up, you'd easily be overwhelmed. Ansem felt a chill course through him as he felt something clammy trail over his back. He stiffened, and pressed himself close to Sephiroth. The touch persisted, and he screwed up his face, trying not to cry out. He began shivering. Sephiroth awoke.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, for Ansem looked very pale, and he was drenched with sweat. "Are you alright? Ansem!" Sephiroth cried. Ansem panted a few times, and fainted. "Ansem!" Sephiroth shook his unconscious lover, with no response. He sat up, the blankets falling away from his bare chest, still holding Ansem. Hastily, he grabbed his pants from wherever they'd landed and pulled them on, doing the same for Ansem.

He picked Ansem up, and carried him to the first floor, finding Vexen carrying two bags in one arm, his other in a sling.

"Sephiroth!" What happened?" he cried, dropping the bags.

"No time! What do I do?" Sephiroth snapped. Vexen helped Sephiroth get Ansem over to the couch, and then ran to the bathroom to grab a washcloth. Sephiroth laid a hand on Ansem's forehead. He was burning to the touch. He gripped Ansem's hand tightly.

By now, the others had arrived to find Ansem unconscious on the couch and Sephiroth holding his hand.

"What happened?" Marluxia demanded. Axel and Zexion looked at each other. Vexen returned with the wet washcloth, and laid it on Ansem's forehead. Slowly Sephiroth told them what had happened after they'd left, leaving nothing out. He told them about Sakkaku, and what they'd been doing, though he didn't go into the details.

Vexen ceased his examination of Ansem. "I think he'll live." Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and Sephiroth was glad he was sitting.

"So what's wrong with him?" Namine asked.

"Stress and a cold, I'd say," Vexen replied. He turned to Sephiroth. "You should stay with him tonight, but leave him here on the couch. If he wakes up, have him drink something." Sephiroth stayed near Ansem the rest of the day and night, never leaving for anything. The others left them alone.

-

Towards morning, Ansem awoke slowly. He looked around. Sephiroth was asleep in the recliner, his head propped up on his fist.

"Sephiroth," Ansem croaked. Sephiroth jerked, and looked at Ansem. He surged forward, and helped him sit up. Sephiroth held Ansem tightly.

"You're awake," he whispered. Ansem relaxed against his lover's chest. "I had to tell the others. I wish we both could've, but…" Ansem shook his head.

"I understand," he said, his voice still something of a croak. He leaned against Sephiroth. He pretty much rested that day, leaning against Sephiroth. Towards noon, he fell asleep, as did Sephiroth.

-

Neh… my muses no likey yaoi… which is really weird. :P I need to stop listening to Beethoven while writing past nine… makes me sleepy… (zonk)


	4. Chapter 4

Day Four: …Cuz They'll Just Get Forceful… 

Ansem was fully recovered within a week. In that week, nothing had happened supernatural-wise, and Sakkaku had yet to call back with her medium. After a while Sephiroth started to complain loudly about her.

"Is she ever gonna call back? It's a good thing we didn't pay her!" he growled late one night, watching TV with Ansem. Ansem rolled his eyes, and leaned on Sephiroth. They both nearly jumped out of their skins when the phone rang, though Sephiroth ended up on his feet with Ansem laughing his head off at him. Sephiroth gave him a dirty look as he picked up the phone.

"'Allo. M' no' wakin' anyone, am Oi?"

Sephiroth's eye twitched at the familiar accent. "I doubt it," he replied through gritted teeth. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Ooo, touchy, aren't ye? Moi bloody medium was ou' o' town, an' 'ee jus' now got back," Sakkaku said. "We can come ovah t'morrow iffen it suits ye."

Sephiroth glanced at Ansem. "Sure."

"Roight. See ye later, then."

And with that she hung up. Sephiroth blinked, and stared at the phone. "Is she always like that on the phone?" he asked.

Ansem shrugged. "Who?"

"Sakkaku."

"What did she do, just abruptly hang up?"

"Yeah."

"I guess so. She did that to me too."

-

Around noon the next day, everyone except Vexen had, once again, gone out. As he thought about it, Ansem found it odd that almost no one spent any time at the house. But then again, given the past events, he wasn't sure he could blame them. However, Vexen's decision to remain behind had thoroughly mystified Ansem and Sephiroth.

"I want to meet this Sakkaku person," he explained. And that was all he'd say on the subject.

Ansem was reading a book, 'The Thing On the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories' by H.P. Lovecraft for some odd reason, when the doorbell rang. He jumped, and mentally cursed Lovecraft for writing a short story about walking dead things turning up on people's doorsteps. Just as he was standing up, Vexen entered the room. By now he'd taken his arm out of the sling, though he still seemed to favour it.

"Is that your investigator friend?" he asked.

"Probably," Ansem said. "I'm just going to find out."

As he approached the door, he heard a very loud argument, sounding like Sakkaku and someone with a far more refined accent.

"Whoi th' bloody 'ell d'ya hafta wear a bloody suit all the toime?"

"Because I wish to, that's why. And I wish to look more refined than certain unnamed parties usually do, Miss Queen t-shirt."

"Oi, don' knock Queen, or Oi moi' haf ter knock ya ou'."

"I'm not knocking Queen in any way, shape, or form. I'm merely saying that you should dress up once in a while."

"Keep yer snobby upper-class nose outta moi wardrobe, Harper."

Ansem stifled mad laughter. Whoever she was arguing with, they sounded like they were giving Sakkaku quite a hard time. He opened the door, and found Sakkaku glaring relentlessly at a young man in a well-cut dark green suit with short brown hair and yellow eyes. Something about him bothered Ansem. Maybe the curious pointed tips of his ears, or the upside-down silver cross on the dark purple scarf around his neck.

"Oh! 'Allo, guv'nah!" Sakkaku said, noticing Ansem. "This snob next t' me is Tobias Harper, m' medium."

Tobias bowed slightly to Ansem, his eyes never leaving Ansem. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Ansem said, still feeling a little creeped out. He turned and headed in, followed by Sakkaku and Tobias.

"Hey Sephiroth!" he called as he walked in. Vexen stood up, and turned to Sakkaku and Tobias. Ansem, facing the stairs, didn't see the looks Vexen and Tobias exchanged.

Sephiroth came barreling down the stairs, skidding to a halt in front of Ansem.

"There's something you need to see," he said harshly. "Bring Sakkaku."

With that he turned on his heel and headed back upstairs, closely followed by Ansem, Vexen, Sakkaku, and Tobias.

"What is it?" Ansem asked.

"You know those boxes we pulled out of the attic when we moved here? Well, I was pokin' around in them, and found something highly interesting," Sephiroth explained. He didn't elaborate.

The moment the five of them reached the landing in front of the attic, Tobias collapsed.

"Tobias!" Sakkaku cried, dropping down to examine him. She jumped back as Tobias sat up, an odd look in his eye.

"Who do you think you are, meddling in my affairs?" he growled, in a voice entirely unlike his own. It was deeper and gruffer, without a trace of his accent. "You think you can just come in here and deal with it, just like that? Well I won't have it, you hear? I WON'T HAVE IT!"

"Who are ye?" Sakkaku asked, pulling out a tape recorder and switching it on.

"I'm the owner of this house, dammit! Ian Harland, and you should damn well know that already! This house has been mine since 1864, and it's still mine, dammit!" Tobias snarled, still in that strange voice.

"D'you know wha' toime this is?"

"1875!"

Sakkaku looked at Ansem, Vexen, and Sephiroth.

"Wrongo, mate. It's 2005," she said.

"Impossible!" The voice seemed to lose some of its venom, sounding lost and confused. "It's July of 1875, and… and…"

Sakkaku shook her head. "It's 2005, mate. Trust me."

"That can't be!"

"Wha' 'appened to ye, mate?"

"That bastard Blade Harper, that's what! He's after the house! He'll probably do me in unless I sell to him. But I won't sell, by my honor!" Here Tobias thumped his fist against his chest. "He can threaten me all he likes, but he's not getting my house!" Tobias' eyes glazed over, and he fell forward slightly. His head jerked up, and his eyes had resumed their normal cast.

"What just happened?" he asked, voice back to normal.

"We jus' 'ad a conversation wif one o' th' ghosts 'ere," Sakkaku said. "Said 'is name was Ian Harland."

"And that brings up what I found," Sephiroth interjected. He headed up t the attic, and returned with a yellowing newspaper dated November 1875. "Check this out." The others gathered around to read it.

Homeowner found dead 

_Mr. Ian Harland, a prominent member of the community, was found dead in his home last night, with his arms, legs, and head removed. Had he not been carrying a pistol with his name engraved on it, police would not have been able to identify him. It is believed that his killer was Blade Harper, who, it was well known, wanted his house. _

_It is presumed that Harper broke in through the window and shot Mr. Harland in the side, but that failed to kill him. Mr. Harland managed to inflict a fatal blow on Harper, but died shortly after. Harper mutilated the body, perhaps in an attempt to hinder investigations, and died of his wounds shortly after._

The rest of the newspaper was missing. Ansem looked at Tobias, who didn't look the least bit surprised that he'd been the proverbial ventriloquist dummy for a man over a hundred years dead. He did look a little surprised at the name Blade Harper.

"Blade Harper? He was my great-grandfather," he mumbled distractedly. "He died in his sixties. But he haunts my home in Sussex."

"Well, there's one ghost," Ansem said. "The first one. But that still leaves the monk-like thing Aerith saw. And that doesn't really account for the eyes that Larxene saw."

"Well, Mr. Skeptic? What do you say now?" Sephiroth asked Vexen.

"I'm going to reserve judgment until I really see something," Vexen replied obstinately. Sephiroth threw his hands in the air exasperatedly.

Tobias and Sakkaku explored the rest of the house, but nothing else presented itself to Tobias. Sakkaku received a few abnormal readings on her EMF meter, but that was about it.

"Hmm… 'ow odd," she remarked before she and Tobias left. "Tobias channeled th' spirit o' this Harland chap, bu' nuffin' else…."

The others arrived back home a few hours after Sakkaku and Tobias left, Marluxia heading upstairs to his and Vexen's room. Ansem and Sephiroth were talking to Leon, Riku, and Yuffie about the vampire movie they'd seen and the others were arguing about the merits of bookstores that let you sit around and read the books without buying them when there came a cry from upstairs. Vexen, recognizing it as Marluxia, raced upstairs ahead of everyone else.

The others followed close behind, crowding into Vexen and Marluxia's relatively small bedroom. Marluxia was clinging resolutely to Vexen, eyes wide and horrified looking, and Vexen looked quite grim as well.

"What happened?" Cloud asked. Ansem and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

Marluxia shook his head, burying his face in Vexen's chest.

"Something scared him badly," Vexen replied grimly. "I don't know what, but it must have been pretty bad. Marluxia doesn't scare easily."

Zexion nudged Axel, and jerked his head at Marluxia and Vexen. Axel nodded, and prodded Ansem and Sephiroth. He crossed his fingers as he had before, and Ansem and Sephiroth nodded.

-

Erm… I think I lost control again…. Oops. Oh well.

So, yay! A new character! I rather like Tobias. He's one of my muses, a relatively new one. I'll post a drawing of him on DeviantART sooner or later, whenever I have access to my dad's scanner. I need to get my own, dammit… anyway, there's a link to my account in my bio. It's all obvious 'n stuff. And did anyone catch the hints about Vexen and Marluxia? Didja? Didjadidjadidja?


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5: …And Cause No End of Mischief… 

"So… what do you think Marluxia saw?"

"It might have been our old friend Ian Harland. Seeing him is certainly quite alarming."

"Maybe… or perhaps Blade Harper decided to pay us a visit."

"Doubtful."

"Hey, maybe it was that monk thing."

"Equally doubtful. I don't think Marluxia would be scared by the same things as Aerith."

"True…."

Ansem and Sephiroth had stayed up very late that night, trying to figure out what had scared Marluxia so badly that he couldn't speak of it. By the time they stopped talking and turned out the light, it was around three in the morning.

Around seven the next day, Ansem was awakened by, of course, a yell.

"Four bloody hours of sleep," he growled, extricating himself from Sephiroth's arms. "Whoever's yelling better have a damn good reason for it. It better be a ghost and not a rat or something."

He pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and headed down to the living room. The moment he saw what was going on, he stopped dead, mouth agape.

A myriad of small winged insects were tormenting Axel and Zexion, who, it seemed, were trying to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Horseflies, houseflies, wasps, sweat bees, honeybees, and even ladybugs were flying around their heads. The din was incredible. Axel was wildly swinging a pillow, and Zexion was flailing his arms around.

"What in the… What the hell is going on?" Ansem yelled.

"We don't know! They just came outta nowhere!" Axel yelled back, nearly clubbing Zexion with his pillow. "There aren't even any open windows!"

Ansem looked around, and saw Axel was right. The door was locked, and the windows were shut, seeing as how it was late October. Wait, October? There shouldn't be any winged insects in October. Well, maybe the houseflies, but the rest?

Sephiroth came down the stairs. "What's going on?" he asked, stifling a yawn. Ansem pointed, and Sephiroth's jaw dropped. He came up to stand beside Ansem.

"Hey! How about trying to help us instead of standing there gaping?" Zexion snarled.

"What the hell are we supposed to do? Get a can of Raid?" Sephiroth snapped irritably. Sephiroth and four hours of sleep were apparently like oil and water. They just don't mix.

"I don't know! Just something!"

At that instant, the bugs just fell from the air, dead. Axel's jaw dropped, and picked up a large horsefly.

"It's dead! Dead as a doorknob!" he said incredulously. "What the hell?"

"Well, we gotta get these bugs out of here, or Yuffie'll have a fit," Sephiroth said. He and the others grabbed brooms, and swept out all the bug bodies, letting them blow away in the fierce winds that had sprung up late the previous night.

"D'you think Vexen would know anything about that?" Ansem asked. "It sort of seems his sort of thing. I mean, he's been the most skeptical of all of us."

"I'll go find him. Isn't he usually up by now?" Sephiroth offered. Axel and Zexion exchanged looks.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Zexion said.

"It sounded like he and Marluxia were doing naughty things when we passed their door on the way down here," Axel continued. Their room being at the back of the house, they typically passed everyone's rooms on the way downstairs. Sephiroth gave them a look, and headed upstairs. Axel and Zexion exchanged looks. A few minutes later, Sephiroth came back, his face an interesting shade of red.

"It seems they haven't stopped," he said sheepishly.

Ansem sniggered, and Sephiroth glared at him.

"You walk in on those two snogging and see how you like it!" Sephiroth growled, his face turning even redder. Ansem laughed harder, and Sephiroth threw a pillow at him. Aerith and Kairi came down, glaring at them.

"What's so funny?" Kairi snapped.

"Your head."

"Your face."

"Your voice."

"You."

Kairi stuck her tongue out at them, and Aerith hid a smile.

"Just for that, you four can make breakfast," Kairi retorted, hands on her hips.

"I'd burn it."

"Can't cook."

"Not good with sharp objects."

"Ditto."

"Hopeless," Kairi muttered. She and Aerith continued into the kitchen.

-

Yeah, it was short this time. Oh well. I couldn't think what to do after Kairi called them hopeless. Bleah.

Anyway! Yes, I have now put Vexen and Marluxia in a pairing! Inspired by a pic on DeviantART called "4 x 11." It's smexy! Go check it out! You can either do a search for "Kingdom Hearts yaoi" or just type in the name, I guess. I haven't tried that.

Yay! My reviewers picked up on the hints about Vexen and Marluxia! You guys are sharp! Congrats!

I'm thinking about changing my penname to Tetsuya Kitase. I know Tetsuya is a guy's name, but I like it anyway. I'll probably change it on this site when I update next week, just so you know.


	6. Chapter 6

Cuz they're all present and accounted for (sorta): Pairings! AnsemxSephiroth, AxelxZexion, MarluxiaxVexen, SoraxRiku, CloudxAerith. The last two are implied. Read between the lines for the SoraxRiku, and the CloudxAerith is a little more obvious.

Day six: …Which may or may not be expensive…

After breakfast, everyone pretty much sat around wondering what the hell to do with themselves.

"I want to see that new movie," Namine said.

"Which one? In case you haven't noticed, there are really quite a lot," Larxene said, somewhat sarcastically.

Namine glared at her, and replied, "The Wallace and Gromit movie."

"Oh, that one."

It was pretty much decided, that, for want of anything else, they would see the Wallace and Gromit movie, although Vexen, Marluxia, Axel, and Zexion turned that down in favour of "Flight Plan." Ansem and Sephiroth, though, stopped at the bookstore.

"See anything?" Ansem muttered to Sephiroth. They were both poking around in the paranormal section, looking for books by a certain author.

"Not yet…" Sephiroth replied, craning his neck to peer at the top shelves. Ansem was examining the lower shelves. "Oh!" Sephiroth reached up and pulled down a few books. He and Ansem paid for them, then drove home, Sephiroth having opted to drive his truck rather than get crammed into Leon's microbus with the rest of them.

"'True Ghost Stories by Hans Holzer,' 'More True Ghost Stories,' and 'The Ghost Hunter's Favourite Cases,' also by Hans Holzer," Ansem said, reading aloud the titles and sitting on the couch. "We must be nuts."

"Who cares? Everyone's crazy in their own way," Sephiroth replied, taking "True Ghost Stories." Ansem thought for a moment, and shrugged. He picked up "More True Ghost Stories" and began to read. Occasionally they would read aloud cases of interest, but none of them even began to parallel what they'd experienced. In a little while, the others returned from the movies, and Ansem and Sephiroth relocated upstairs.

Sephiroth let out a cry of frustration. "This is not helping!" he cried, tossing the book aside. Ansem ignored him, as he was sort of enjoying the books. Sephiroth sighed, seeing as he'd gotten no response, and stared around the room. He glanced at one corner, and frowned. The shadows were moving. _That's weird,_ he thought. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. No, those shadows were definitely moving.

Before his eyes, the shadows coalesced into a solid-looking form, looking something like a head. It had short hair, cruel-looking eyes, and a thin, stern-looking mouth. It was completely gray, and surrounded and permeated with a whitish fog. Sephiroth's eyes widened as it turned to face him; then it hovered over Ansem, staring down at him.

"Ansem, whatever you do, don't sit up," Sephiroth hissed. Ansem glanced at him, and looked up.

"Holy shit!" he cried, sitting up. The head backed out of the way, and turned to follow Ansem as he raced over to Sephiroth, who had stood up. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know! It just now appeared!" Sephiroth explained, never taking his eyes off the head. It grinned, revealing strangely pointed eyeteeth, and vanished. Ansem grabbed Sephiroth's hand, and held it tightly.

"We should probably go through those newspapers again," Ansem said after a while. Sephiroth was about to reply, but a slam from downstairs interrupted him. Another slam followed, and another, over and over again. Ansem and Sephiroth raced downstairs, to find all the windows opening and falling back down without breaking. The others were starting to panic, and things worsened when the doors began slamming wildly.

To add to their horror, a faint growling started up in the kitchen, at first soft, then growing louder as though it was drawing nearer. Namine screamed, and Larxene hugged her tightly. Sora and Riku were clinging to each other, Aerith had buried her face in Cloud's shirt, Yuffie had her fingers in her ears and was humming the theme to the Wallace and Gromit movie, and the others sat as if stunned.

A loud thud echoed from the attic, and Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other and nodded. They ran upstairs, followed by Vexen, Axel, and Leon. The moment the five of them reached the attic stairs, the attic door closed. As if someone who didn't want to be disturbed had simply shut the door. Axel and Leon slammed their shoulders into the door, but it remained closed. To further annoy them, there came a loud mocking laugh from the other side of the door, and the lock clicked.

"Dammit!" Axel swore.

"Move!" Ansem yelled. He backed up, got a running start, and slammed into the door. It opened almost immediately, and he stumbled slightly. The five looked around. Everything was untouched. By now the noises from downstairs had ceased entirely.

"What the hell was that?" Leon said exasperatedly.

No one answered.

The five of them returned downstairs, to find that nothing was amiss. The others were talking loudly, obviously trying to figure out what had happened. Ansem and Sephiroth exchanged looks.

"I think it's time to bring Sakkaku back," Sephiroth said. Ansem nodded.

-(A brief pause while the story moves ahead slightly)-

"Roight. So then wot?"

Sakkaku and Tobias had arrived two hours after Sephiroth called, and they were up in the attic with Sephiroth, Ansem, Axel, and Marluxia. The others, expressing clear desires to get out of the house, had gone for lunch. Axel had just gotten through telling her about the occurrences.

"Whoi couldn't any o' this 'appen whoile Oi was 'ere?" Sakkaku grumbled, pulling a tape recorder out of her bag. She turned it on and set it on the floor by the door. They went downstairs, and explored the entire house, except the basement. However, Tobias didn't pick up anything.

"Try the basement?" Marluxia suggested when they wondered what to do. Ansem, Axel, and Sephiroth exchanged looks. No one had really wanted to go down into the basement willingly after what had happened to Larxene. Sakkaku shrugged.

"Worf a sho', Oi guess," she said. So, despite extreme reluctance from most, the six of them headed down to the basement. Sakkaku looked around, peering under furniture, while Tobias simply stood there. Axel glanced at a certain spot on the floor and frowned slightly.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing. Ansem followed his gaze, and cocked his head.

"Huh. Never noticed that before," he said, going over to examine it. He and Axel moved over to look at it. It was a small, rusty-brown coloured circle, like a drop of dried blood. Ansem brushed his fingers over it, and immediately felt as though he'd received an electric shock. "Whatever it is, don't touch it."

Axel, being Axel, decided to touch it anyway, and yanked his hand away with a yelp.

"Axel, what **are **you doing?" Sephiroth asked, holding the shelves away from the wall so Sakkaku could peer behind them.

"Come check this out," Axel said, motioning the other four over.

"It looks like a drop of blood," Marluxia mused.

"It is."

All eyes turned to Tobias. His eyes were glazed over, and he was speaking as though he was a great distance away.

"It is a drop of blood from Blade Harper. He broke through the window, true enough. But he did not murder Ian Harland. Ian Harland murdered Blade Harper. This was one of Blade Harper's homes. His other was in Sussex, where I now live. The torso is Blade Harper," he said. "Ian Harland killed Blade, cut up his body, and then injured himself to make it look like Blade had killed him. But his plan backfired. He cut himself too badly, and died of blood loss before he could get back to his own home. He haunts this house as well, as he died in the woods at the back of the property.

"Ian was a liar. He wanted Blade's house, not the other way around, but…"

Tobias' eyes closed, then reopened, this time perfectly clear.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

"No' really," Sakkaku said, holding up a digital tape recorder she'd kept on in her pocket. "Been on since Oi got 'ere."

"I just wish he'd kept talking," Axel said irritably.

"What did I say?" Tobias asked.

Marluxia filled him in, and he looked puzzled.

"Huh. I've had many a conversation with Great-grandfather Blade, and he never mentioned this," he said. "But does that mean Ian Harland was lying?"

The others, seeing as how they had no answer, decided to head back up to the attic. Sakkaku picked up her tape recorder and rewound it. She pressed "Play." A horrible jumble of sounds issued from the speaker, completely unintelligible. It sort of sounded like a bunch of cats fighting on a fence, falling off, and continuing the fight; while a croaking frog trapped under a burning stone and swinging a rusty gate back and forth provided background music. Sakkaku wrinkled her nose.

"Well, tha's obnoxious as 'ell," she said.

-

Okie-dokie! I think the plot's moving along nicely! But I'm not sure, cuz I haven't decided how long to make this. Anyway! Muahahaha… lies, deceit, murder, mystery, and increase in spiritual activity! What lies in store for our friends at 724 Elm?

Hmm… there haven't been many yaoi moments since chapter three, have there? Anyone out there suffering because of this? I'll have to do something about that. I'll make it all up to you, that I will! (Rubs hands together eagerly)

A little poll thingy: How many of you reader chaps kind of like Tobias so far? I'm just curious.

A teaser thing cuz I feel like it: **In chapters to come, there's a lot more yaoi moments, possession, Sakkaku and Tobias get in way over their heads looking for ol' Ian's body, and the mystery of that damn monk thing gets solved! I keep forgetting about it. But not all in one chapter tho'. The cat's out of the bag and it's out of the frying pan and into the fire for the residents of 724 Elm! The genre might change too. In other words, humour will be replaced by horror! Maybe. **


	7. Chapter 7

A quick A/N: Fear the yaoi moments! MeYOW! (Winks) _Man_ it's really hard to write yaoi and write it tastefully!

Day 7: …So Ya Better Call a Pro…

After Tobias and Sakkaku left, Sakkaku promising to analyze the tape, Axel and Marluxia remained downstairs to discuss what they'd discovered. Ansem and Sephiroth, however, headed up to the attic. Ansem was examining the wall where Sephiroth had seen the moving shadow, when he felt a pair of arms encircle him from behind. Ansem started wildly, and relaxed when he saw it was only Sephiroth.

"Oh, it's just you," he said.

"Yeah, watch where you're swinging your arms the next time you jump like that," Sephiroth growled playfully. "You nearly hit me in the face."

"Sorry."

"No worries." Sephiroth kissed Ansem on the cheek, and Ansem turned to face him. "Just be careful." Ansem kissed Sephiroth deeply, Sephiroth parting his lips almost instinctively. Sephiroth pulled Ansem closer to him, running his hands over Ansem's waist.

"With all this supernatural shit going on, we haven't had much time to ourselves," Ansem whispered.

"I know," Sephiroth replied, his hands raking over Ansem's back. "We should really **do **something about it. You think?"

"Oh, undoubtedly," Ansem said, kissing Sephiroth hard enough to make him moan.

-

It poured down rain for the entire day, the remnants of a large storm system moving through the area. Wind-driven rain pelted the windows, sounding like marbles as lightning forked across the sky. It became unbearably loud in the attic, but Ansem and Sephiroth, sleeping soundly and wrapped in each other's arms, didn't seem to care. Towards noon, hail also joined the rain and wind, eventually awakening Ansem and Sephiroth.

Hoping it would be quieter downstairs, the two dressed and headed down, taking the ghost books with them. Cloud, Aerith, Sora, Riku, Leon, Yuffie, Kairi, Namine, and Larxene had suddenly decided to go on a road trip, return date indefinite. Vexen and Marluxia had gone out somewhere, and Axel and Zexion were all playing some racing game in the living room, sitting as close to the TV as they could. Ansem and Sephiroth claimed the sofa, Sephiroth sitting at one end and Ansem leaning against him.

Ansem started reading, but Sephiroth, remembering what had happened the last time he'd tried reading one of those books, chose to watch the two gamers instead with his arm around Ansem's shoulders. Axel seemed to have a knack for it, always making sure to ram Zexion off the road. Zexion eventually got pretty pissed, so he ran Axel into the wall.

Axel, being Axel, pouted while Zexion laughed his ass off.

"Go get a different game," Axel said to Zexion, who, still laughing, stood and headed up to his room. Axel and Sephiroth immediately started arguing over whether running someone into the wall was really legal in "Burnout 3". Ansem rolled his eyes and kept reading.

Zexion came thumping back down the stairs, holding a different game, "We Love Katamari" of all things. He reached the bottom of the stairs, and paused. He seemed to slump forward as though he was going to fall, the game falling from his fingers. Axel glanced over at him and frowned.

"Hey Zexion! What's the matter?" he called. Zexion didn't reply, just fell to his knees and started holding his head. "Zexion!" Axel raced over to him, and bent down to his level.

"Get away!" Zexion yelled. "Get away from me!"

"What's wrong? What's the matter?" Axel pressed.

"Get AWAY!" Zexion shot to his feet, glaring at Axel. Axel involuntarily backed away, seeing something in Zexion's eyes. This wasn't Zexion anymore. His eyes had changed to a deep green, and his shadow was different. It didn't seem to fit his body anymore; rather, it was tall and broad, as if that of a football linebacker.

"Stop meddling in my affairs!" the Once-Zexion said. Sephiroth and Ansem looked up sharply. They knew that voice. "Get out of my house! It's my house, dammit! MINE!"

Ansem tossed his book aside and stood up. He ran over to Axel and pulled him aside, just as Zexion's fist whizzed through the air where Axel's head had once been.

"What's going on?" Axel cried.

"That's not Zexion anymore," Sephiroth said, running forward to restrain Once-Zexion. "That was Ian Harland's voice. He's possessed Zexion."

"Possessed?"

Sephiroth nodded grimly.

"What can we do?" Axel demanded frantically.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," Ansem said, still keeping a tight grip on Axel. "None of us are priests, and none of us can do anything." Ian-Zexion struggled in Sephiroth's grip, and broke free, throwing Sephiroth aside. Sephiroth flew through the air and crashed into the wall.

"Sephiroth!" Ansem cried, running over to his lover.

"I'm okay," Sephiroth said, holding a hand to his head. "Get Axel out of there!"

"Axel, get out of here!" Ansem yelled.

"No!" Axel snapped back defiantly. "This bastard possessed Zexion! MY Zexion! And I'm not leaving until Zexion's safe in my arms and that Ian bastard is no more!"

"Axel, you're an idiot!" Ansem snarled. "Get out of here!"

"As if you two could do any better than me!" Axel shouted.

"Yes, let him face me alone!" Ian-Zexion said mockingly. Ansem and Sephiroth found themselves unable to move, as if they'd been frozen in place. "Now you won't interfere!"

Ansem and Sephiroth tried desperately to move, but they were locked in place. Ansem's face twisted into a frown, and Sephiroth also looked livid.

"As if I needed their help anyway!" Axel sneered.

"Heh… heh heh…" Ian-Zexion began to laugh, a horrible laugh with an undercurrent of madness to it. "H-Hahahahaha! You honestly think you can beat me? You puny human! I have powers the likes of which you can't even begin to comprehend!" The objects around Ian-Zexion began to rise into the air, and they flew at Axel with a wave of Ian-Zexion's hand. Axel ducked, and flashed the ghost a cheeky grin.

Ian-Zexion growled audibly, and raced forward, plainly meaning to punch Axel. Axel ducked again, and grinned impudently. Ian-Zexion lashed out with his foot, but Axel proved too nimble.

_What the hell is Axel doing? _Ansem thought in anger. _He's got him right where he wants him!_

True. Axel had Ian-Zexion in the perfect position to knock him out and, in all probability, expel Ian from Zexion's body. But it seemed Axel was reluctant to harm his lover in anyway. It didn't seem to occur to him that he was probably doing more damage to Zexion by not acting than if he'd knocked him out.

But that's not to say Zexion wasn't fighting as well. Sephiroth and Ansem, on the sidelines, observed that Ian-Zexion's movements were jerky and slightly uncoordinated, as though Ian didn't have a firm grip on Zexion's body. Occasionally his shadow would quiver for no apparent reason. Ansem and Sephiroth could only hope that Axel had noticed this as well.

"Go to hell, you psychotic moron!" Axel said. Ian-Zexion's face twisted in anger.

"Impudent rip!" he snarled, racing forward. He slammed into Axel and latched a hand around his throat. "You know nothing of hell!" Ian-Zexion slammed Axel into the wall with a crash. Axel winced, and managed another grin.

"Y-you'll have… to do better than that…" he said. Ian-Zexion roared loudly, and threw Axel at the opposite wall. He crashed into the wall, and fell in a heap. Ian-Zexion moved forward and lifted him by his throat again.

"What do you have to say to that?" he sneered. There was a trickle of blood running down Axel's temple.

"Zexion… come back… I know you're in there somewhere… come back, you dork," Axel gasped out. For a moment, Zexion's eyes resumed their normal colour. Then they switched back to green, and Ian-Zexion tightened his grip. Axel made a choking noise, and tried to pry his hands loose. A shudder coursed through Ian-Zexion's body, and Axel was released.

"No, you worthless mortal… you cannot beat me!" he cried, Ian and Zexion's voices melding together. Then Zexion's voice rang out.

"Get out of my head, you two-bit ghost!"

"Never!" Ian's voice snarled. Ian-Zexion—or was it Zexion-Ian?—fell to the floor, clutching at his head.

"Come on, Zexion! Beat him! You can do it!" Axel cried, picking himself up with difficulty. Ian-Zexion writhed madly, then went still. An inhuman cry reverberated through the house; shattering some of the windows and making everyone present clap their hands over their ears. A smoky, misty shape formed in the center of the room, whirling like a tornado. Ian's voice rang out.

NO! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED BY MERE MORTALS! I'M A SPIRIT! NO HUMAN SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF DEFEATING ME!

Axel moved forward, and seized a lighter from a nearby table. Fortunately whatever the mass was, it was flammable. He used it to light a massive fireball right in the center of the whirling mass. "Get the hell away from my lover, asshole!" he shouted. Ian's voice screamed, growing louder and higher. Several more windows shattered, and Ian yelled out once more.

I'M NOT GONE FOR GOOD! I WILL NEVER LEAVE UNTIL MY BODY IS FOUND AND THIS HOUSE IS MINE!

With a massive noise like a thunderclap, the tornado disintegrated. Axel ran over to Zexion's unconscious form and gently picked him up. Ansem and Sephiroth found they were capable of moving, and almost fell over.

"Come on, Zexion, wake up! Wake up!" Axel murmured, shaking Zexion slightly. Zexion's eyes slowly cracked open. Axel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were no longer green.

"Axel? What just happened?" Zexion croaked.

"Nothing much," Axel said, a single tear wending its way down his face. He kissed Zexion hard, and Zexion flung his arms around him. Ansem and Sephiroth sighed, and leaned on each other. The rain streamed in from the broken windows, completely soaking Axel and Zexion, but they didn't seem to care.

Zexion was no longer possessed, and that was all that mattered.

-

WHAA! I'm really losing control! …Kidding. For once, I'm in complete control of where my fic's going. A first, believe you me. And if anything is a little "Huh?" I've never seen "The Exorcist" or any other possession flick. Just a little heads-up. I do wish it could have been longer, tho'. Anyway, yay! The yaoi's back! WHOO!

And as for why Zexion came back with a copy of "We Love Katamari," don't ask me. I was just lookin' through my PS2 games trying to figure out which one to use after "Burnout" and saw We Love Katamari. I thought, _Perfect!_ and took off. I saw a coupla guys playing co-op mode in that once. O.O BOOM!

Severe thunderstorm! W00T! Perfect weather for a possession, ne?

Oh yeah, I was on a sabbatical (again) cuz I fired all my old muses and got a new set. And wouldn't you know it, the new ones wouldn't work, damn them! So I took a sabbatical. But I was in Indiana one weekend, so I couldn't update anyway. That was, incidentally, the start of the sabbatical.


	8. Chapter 8

Day 8: …Or Else Ya Might Regret It…

"So he was really possessed?"

"Interesting…."

Vexen and Marluxia had returned, and Ansem and Sephiroth filled them in on what had happened. Axel and Zexion had since hidden in their room, the past events leaving no doubt as to what they were doing.

"Not really," Sephiroth said darkly, rubbing the back of his head.

"So what did he say he wanted?" Vexen asked.

"Well… Harland said he wouldn't leave until the house was his and his body was found," Ansem said. "But how the hell are we going to prove any of that?"

"I think another visit from Sakkaku is in order," Vexen suggested idly.

-

Zexion was cuddled up to Axel's chest, sort of pinned there by Axel's arms. His eyes opened slowly.

"Axel. Hey," he whispered. Axel stirred, and opened his eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"Why do you think Harland chose to possess me?"

Axel blinked. Then he shook his head.

"I don't know. I guess just because you were there," he said finally. "I doubt there was any other reason."

"Oh." Zexion was silent for a moment.

"Why? Do you wish there was a special reason?" Axel said.

"No, just wondering."

"Why is anyone picked for possession? Why did the devil pick Linda Blair in that movie?" Axel replied softly. "I don't think there ever is a real reason, other than convenience of the possessed to the possessor."

"Oh, okay." Zexion didn't say anything for a moment; then he leaned forward and kissed Axel. "Love you," he said, cuddling up to him.

Axel smiled slightly, and held Zexion close. "Love you too."

-

"Whoa, a possession? Bloody 'ell, nuffin' int'restin' evah 'appens when Oi'm around!" Sakkaku exclaimed. She, Tobias, Ansem, and Sephiroth were standing by the edge of the backyard the next day. Sakkaku and Tobias had decided that they would be the ones to search for Ian's body, considering Tobias' mediumistic powers.

"Yeah, well, we didn't find it too interesting," Sephiroth grumbled. The back of his head still hurt, after all.

"Easy, Sephiroth, down boy," Ansem said.

"Well, we'd best be going," Tobias said. He and Sakkaku headed to the woods. As they reached the fringes, Ansem felt a terrible thrill of foreboding and shivered, despite the warm sunlight.

"They'll be fine," Sephiroth said, holding Ansem's hand.

-

"Vexen, I still can't believe you don't believe in ghosts. Even after everything that's happened."

"I said I wouldn't believe until I saw something. I still haven't. I missed the fly incident, the time Tobias said all that about Ian and Blade (which greatly contradicted what he said before), the possession…."

"But you were there when all hell broke loose in the house! Don't you remember? And after what happened to me!"

Vexen and Marluxia were back in their room, sitting on the bed. Vexen was reading Dante's "Inferno," and Marluxia was glaring at him.

"I still don't really know what happened to you. You still haven't told me or anyone else," Vexen said, turning a page.

"You're so stubborn!" Marluxia grumbled. Then he leaned forward and gave Vexen a quick kiss on his cheek. "But I think that's why I love you."

Vexen turned and kissed Marluxia, and Marluxia fell back, pinned under Vexen.

"You're weird," Vexen whispered. "Whoever heard of anyone loving someone for their stubbornness? But likewise, I love you because you're weird." Vexen kissed him again, harder and more deeply this time.

-

Meanwhile, Sakkaku and Tobias were hacking their way through the undergrowth of the woods at the back of the property. Tobias, for once, had abandoned his customary suits and actually worn jeans for a change, but considering his current activities this wasn't too surprising. He followed behind Sakkaku, who was far more experienced at bush walking than he, making sure not to get in the way of her wildly swinging machete.

"Watch it!" he cried for the fourth time as Sakkaku's blade came alarmingly close to his arm again.

"Sorry, mate." Sakkaku continued on as if nothing had happened. Tobias paused briefly to extricate his shirt from a pricker bush, cutting his finger slightly.

"'Ere, Oi've 'ad a thought," Sakkaku said suddenly.

"Amazing," Tobias grumbled, sucking his finger.

"'Ow the 'ell are we s'posed ter foind this bloke? 'Ow long's 'e been dead again?" Sakkaku continued, ignoring Tobias.

"I don't know. I guess I'll notice whenever we get near," Tobias said thoughtfully. "That said, shouldn't I be in front?"

"No' a bloody chance."

-

Once again, Sephiroth was nosing around the boxes in the attic.

"The rest of that newspaper has to be around here somewhere," he muttered distractedly as he shoved another box aside. A cloud of dust made him sneeze, and he rocked back on his heels and sat on the floor. "Maybe not." He stared at the ceiling for a moment, wondering where he could find newspapers over a hundred and twenty years old.

"Geez, Sephiroth! What the hell are you doing in here?" came Ansem's voice, along with a few coughs.

Sephiroth wiped dust off his nose and turned. "Trying to find the rest of that newspaper article," he replied. "Didn't you notice how one edge of that thing looked torn?"

Ansem peered over Sephiroth's shoulder at the maze of boxes. "Try the basement yet? There're tons of old boxes down there."

Sephiroth suppressed a shudder. "I don't really want to go down there. I never did like it down there, even before all this paranormal shit started happening," he mumbled. Ansem pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, love. I'll go with you," Ansem offered, holding both of Sephiroth's hands.

"Oh, fine," Sephiroth said grudgingly. "I'm blaming you if we see any floating eyeballs or something." He gave Ansem a quick kiss, and the two headed down to the basement.

-

"Tha's it! Ol' 'Arland's remains!"

At the sound of Sakkaku's gleeful cry, Tobias pulled his head out of the clouds and back to earth. He peered around Sakkaku's shoulders, and saw a gleaming white skull grinning up at him. He jumped in spite of himself, inciting a few snickers from Sakkaku. He stepped around her, and bent down to examine the bones. His gaze traveled over the skeleton, which was positioned in such a way that it suggested Harland had been trying to reach for something in his last moments.

Gingerly, Tobias lifted one of the thighbones. He only got half of it. The other half remained next to the hip, the bone being broken in half.

"This is it," Tobias breathed. "This is where he stabbed himself to make it look like my great-grandfather killed him. But why didn't the police look back here…?"

Sakkaku started to reply, but the words died in her mouth as a massive wind gust whipped the fallen leaves into a tornado, swirling and lashing around her and Tobias.

"Ah, shit."

-

Ansem backed up with a fit of coughing. He waved his hand in front of his nose to clear some of the dust.

"Damn," he choked. "Someone should really get back there and clean!"

"Who would?" Sephiroth replied, holding the bottom of his shirt over his nose. "Everyone's too frightened to come down here." One-handed, he pulled a box out of the back, and began rooting through it. "Ah! Here it is!"

Ansem moved next to him to read it. It was the whole article, this time without the end torn off.

_Homeowner found dead _

_Mr. Ian Harland, a prominent member of the community, was found dead in his home last night, with his arms, legs, and head removed. Had he not been carrying a pistol with his name engraved on it, police would not have been able to identify him. It is believed that his killer was Blade Harper, who, it was well known, wanted his house. _

_It is presumed that Harper broke in through the window and shot Mr. Harland in the side, but that failed to kill him. Mr. Harland managed to inflict a fatal blow on Harper, but died shortly after. Harper mutilated the body, perhaps in an attempt to hinder investigations, and died of his wounds shortly after. _

_Police discovered a trail of blood leading out of a broken window, possibly leading to the woods at the back of the property, but declined to investigate, saying that Harper was likely dead and there was no point in going to find him._

_Harper's body is, as of yet, unrecovered. Funeral services will be held for Mr. Harland this Saturday, at one o' clock PM at the church. As he had no living heirs, the house will enter into possession of the state. It is unknown whether the house will be available for sale._

"Wow. So the house, if Blade still owned it, would have gone to Tobias' grandfather…" Ansem mused.

"Interesting read, innit?"

Ansem and Sephiroth started, and whipped around. A ghost stood behind them, this one a monk, with his hands hidden behind his back. He smiled cheerily at them.

"Hello!" he said. "I'm friar Ben. You are? On second thought…." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Ansem and Sephiroth! Well, then, pleased to meet you!"

Ansem blinked. "How did you…?"

"Guess your names? I was telepathic when I was alive. Some of the ability still remains to me," Ben said cheerfully. "Anyway, I've noticed your doings the past few months. Kinda interesting, it was."

"Are you the ghost that appeared to Aerith?" Sephiroth asked.

"Aerith? Oh! The girl in the pink dress? Yup, that was me!" He held up his arms, and Ansem and Sephiroth saw that Ben was indeed missing his hands. The ends of his arms were wrapped in bloodstained bandages.

"What happened to you?" Ansem asked.

"Well, this place used to be a sort of… how you say… summer home, for monks to come when they tired of the church life for a while," Ben explained. "I came here frequently, not because I ever tired of the church, but because I was always getting into trouble at the church. I used my telepathic abilities for silly things, like when the vicar decided a lady's hat looked funny. I told her, and she went right up and slapped him!" Ben smiled hugely, reminiscing for a moment; then he picked up where he'd left off.

"Obviously I didn't exactly endear myself to the other brothers. So they sent me here all the time to get rid of me. There were usually others here, so I could bug them. After a bit, they got so sick of me they told me to push this cart full of produce up that hill to the north into the local village. Well, when I got to the top of the hill, what should the silly thing do but start rolling back?"

Ben grinned ruefully. "It knocked me over and crushed my hands. I mean literally, squished 'em flat. Blood everywhere. Yuck. Anyway, I managed to make it back here, but the others couldn't save my hands. I lost 'em." He shrugged. "I think I died during the procedure."

Ansem and Sephiroth looked at each other. "So why do you…" Ansem began.

"Hang around? Because I feel like it," Ben said with a shrug. "I like pestering people. You lot are fun to annoy. Especially when I plagued those two with the bugs. Heh… that was fun. That Aerith girl, though… she scares real easy. Anyway, I can move on whenever I feel like it."

Ansem and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

"Stay a while, will you?" Ansem said, a mischievous smile forming on his face. "It was pretty amusing when you scared Aerith. Just stay away from the attic, okay?"

Ben grinned. "Nice smile, Ansem. Worn that myself many times. Anyway, sure. I'll stay. This place is fun, even if it isn't full of tense monks," he said. "See ya later." Then he faded from view. Ansem grinned broadly.

"You're evil, you know that?" Sephiroth said.

"I know."

-

So! The end of chapter eight! Things are coming to an end, that they are! The mystery of the monk thingy has been solved (which was a little abrupt and unsatisfying to me, but I couldn't think of any other way), and that just leaves everything to do with Sakkaku, the Harper family, and Ian Harland. Okie-dokie-mokie (so says the King)!

Yeah, I know the yaoi moments are disappointingly short and not very graphic at all, but if I were to go into more detail this'd end up rated "M" cuz subtlety and innuendo is not something I'm particularly good at. I'll just let you all ponder that for a while. ;) But the next chapter is rated "M" anyway. So who cares?

Oh, and you will see more of the not-so-good friar Ben in the upcoming chapters. X3


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: There is a very good reason why the rating jumped up a level, and you'll see why once you finish.

Day 9: …Cuz Ghosts Can Get Pretty Nasty…

Ansem glanced out of the window. Dark clouds were building, threatening rain. The humidity had increased as well, rumbles of thunder echoing from the north.

"Hope Sakkaku and Tobias don't get stuck out in that," he said absently. Sephiroth slipped his hand in Ansem's.

"They'll be back. Even if they don't find something, they'll be back once it starts storming," he said. Ansem leaned on him, and closed his eyes.

Within a few minutes, the clouds had opened up and poured down rain. Lightning flashed almost constantly, lighting even the darkest shadows outside. The wind howled incessantly, moaning and whistling as though the heavens were stricken by grief. The patter of hail against the cars and roof made it all worse. With thunder cracking and the crying of the wind, it was pretty noisy. Ansem glanced out the window.

"Two severe thunderstorms in two days, and this close to Hallowe'en," Ansem murmured. Sakkaku and Tobias still hadn't returned.

Sephiroth also turned his gaze outside. "It's still early," he said. "They may be back."

"I hope you're right."

However, the morning slipped away like sand in an hourglass, the storm worsening and no sign of the wayward investigator and medium. Ansem and Sephiroth continually glanced outside, hoping to see them coming up the drive to the front door, but with constantly sinking spirits, no pun intended.

Around noon, there came a loud banging at the door. Ansem frowned, and headed to the door as lightning forked once more across the sky. He flinched slightly, and opened the door.

Sakkaku, cut in numerous places, bruised, battered, and mud stained was standing on the front step, an unconscious Tobias slung over her shoulder.

"The hell?" Ansem cried.

"'Ere, 'ow 'bout givin' us a bloody 'and?" Sakkaku snapped. "This bloke may no' look it, bu' 'e's 'eavy!"

Hurriedly, Ansem took the unconscious Tobias from Sakkaku, laying him out on the couch. Sakkaku, meanwhile, was trying to find a clean part of her shirt so she could dry her glasses.

"What the hell happened?" Sephiroth asked.

"Ian 'Arland, that's wot!" Sakkaku said irritably. "We found 'is remains roight 'nuff, bu' it seems 'ee didn't want t' be found as much as we all thought. Stupid blighter conjures up this dirty great tornado, an' we get 'it wif all sorts o' shit. Tobias took a bloody rock in th' 'ead, so 'ee'll 'ave a roight ol' 'eadache when 'ee wakes up."

"Hey, what's up?"

Ansem, Sephiroth, and Sakkaku looked up as Zexion and Axel came down the stairs, hand in hand.

"What happened to him?" Axel asked, pointing to Tobias.

"Go' 'it in th' 'ead wif a rock," Sakkaku answered carelessly.

"Sounds painful," Zexion said, examining the large blood-encrusted bump on the back of Tobias' head. The thunder cracked loudly, and everyone jumped. Tobias moaned and sat up.

"Oh, my head," he groaned. "Someone turn off the storm."

"A physical impossibility," Vexen said as he entered the room. Ansem looked at him strangely.

"Are you feeling alright? You sound cheerful," Ansem said suspiciously. Vexen gave him a feral grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he sneered. Behind his back, Axel and Zexion mimed passionate kissing, mouthed "Marluxia," and pointed to Vexen. Ansem and Sephiroth tried not to laugh, and Vexen turned to glare at Axel and Zexion. Sakkaku snickered.

Outside, the wind howled even louder, making the few remaining windows rattle. Rain cascaded against the walls, and shortly a loud rattling noise commenced. Ansem glanced out the window, and saw hailstones the size of pennies clattering against the driveway and windows. A massive flash of lightning lit the room, closely followed by a crack of thunder as loud as a bomb going off.

Ansem paled as he saw something advancing towards the house. Sakkaku saw him, and followed his gaze.

"Oh, 'oly shit," she breathed. The others looked, and gave cries of terror.

The bleached bones of Ian Harland were making their way towards the house. The remains were slowly regaining their flesh, first muscles and tendons, then skin.

Tobias looked terrified, and gave a strangled sort of cry. Vexen's eyes were wide, as he backed up against the wall. Axel and Zexion seized hold of each other, whimpering slightly. Ansem and Sephiroth were locked in place, staring straight into the face of the creature.

Ian Harland, now whole again, grinned wolfishly at them through the window. His eyes, deep forest green, were cold and hard. He was tall and powerfully built, his iron-gray hair swept away from his face. As he grinned, his thin lips slid away from his pointed teeth.

He reached up, and punched out the glass. He calmly climbed inside, and grinned again.

"Hello, all. And goodbye," he said, his voice rasping at first then growing clearer as his vocal chords grew back. A rippling and swirling vortex grew in the middle of the room, and sucked them all into its swirling depths.

-

Ansem groaned softly, cracking open his eyes. Vexen and Axel were loosely clustered around him. Vexen seemed to be searching for a way out of the swirling area they currently occupied and Axel was slouched on the ground. Ansem blinked for a moment.

"Damn it all to hell!" Vexen snarled suddenly. "Isn't there a way out of this shithole?"

"Hell, who cares?" Axel said suddenly. "Even if we get out, there's no guarantee we'll find the others. They'll probably rot away in some alternate dimension and we'll never see them again."

"Shut up, Axel. You're not helping," Vexen snapped.

"I'm not trying to!" Axel growled. "I'm being realistic! There's no guarantee we'll find Marluxia, or Zexion, or Seph-"

Ansem punched him in the face.

"Shut up, alright?" Ansem said, his voice deadly soft. "Just shut up. We'll find them. I know we will."

"How can you be sure?" Axel cried, desperation resounding in his voice. "We may never even get out of here!"

_Fighting amongst yourselves? Dear me, you'll never find your lovers that way._

Ian Harland appeared in the middle of the area.

The others all jumped and backed away, except Ansem.

"Where the hell are they, you bastard?" he growled.

"I've got them," Ian replied, carelessly examining his nails. "I plan to use their life force to destroy this house and everyone in it."

A ringing silence filled the air.

"You see, even after death, Blade still won't relinquish the house to me. He keeps yammering on about some mistake I made in the signing. I'm pretty sure I didn't make any mistakes at all, but oh well." Ian shrugged. "You see this house actually was Harper's. Your little medium friend was right about that. I had considerably more social clout than he did, and could have him run out of town for not selling to me, if I so chose."

"So he sold to me. But then he conceived that stupid idea of his, and tried to get at the deed to prove it. I was waiting for him, though. I caught him as he broke in the window, and killed him. I mutilated the body, bricked his parts up in the fireplace down there, and planted the gun. I stabbed myself in the thigh to lay the blame on Harper, but unfortunately for me, I did too well of a job. I died in the trees."

Ian smiled, and they could all see his pointed eyeteeth. "So since I can't have it, I'm destroying the house. A good idea, no?"

"No! It's a bad idea!" Axel snapped. Ian frowned.

"Well, I don't really care about your opinion," he said. "Ta ta. I'm off to destroy the house." He started to fade away, then paused. "You know what, that may not be very interesting. Here's a thought. I'll let you three try to find your lovers. Should you succeed, I won't destroy the house. How's that?"

And with that everyone was sent to different parts of the house. Ansem reappeared in the upstairs hallway, at the far end from the attic. Interestingly, Friar Ben appeared next to him.

"Hello, Ansem. How's life?" Ben asked.

"Not so good," Ansem growled.

"That's too bad. Hey, whatcha doin' here?"

"Trying to save Sephiroth from a psychopath."

"Oh." Ben looked around. "So where is he?"

"I don't know. Can't you tell?" Ansem asked. Ben cocked his head.

"Yeah. He's in the attic."

"Good." Ansem started forward, but then the hall seemed to stretch, more doors appearing along it. "What?" He ran forward, but the hall stretched forward even longer.

"Oh, I see," Ben said. "He's preying on your fears. You fear not being able to help Sephiroth if he ever needed it, don't you?"

"What? I—" Ansem didn't reply. "How do I throw him off?"

Ben looked vaguely contemplative for a moment. "You can either play Tibetan monk and clear your thoughts, or get really pissed."

"I think I'll go for pissed," Ansem growled. He started to run forward again, and this time the hall seemed to shrink. He kept running forward, faster than before, and the hall continued to shrink, until he was at the attic door before he knew it. A loud growl echoed through the hall. "Oh, now what?"

A horrible creature, something like a spider with four long, spindly legs tipped like needles and a human head atop an unnaturally long neck, mostly skeletal in appearance, appeared in front of the door. It roared at Ansem, and lashed out with one of its legs. Ansem ducked, and heard the creature's claw smash into the door. It swung its leg again, and Ansem dodged to the side, feeling the tip graze his shoulder.

"So, it's solid?" he growled. There was no answer. "Ben?" He glanced behind him, and the creature took advantage of his moment of distraction and struck him in the chest. Ansem flew across the hall and smashed into the wall. He groaned, feeling blood trickle down his chest. The creature hovered over him, preparing to make the final blow. Ansem grinned at it, and grabbed its head.

The creature howled, and Ansem twisted its head savagely, breaking its neck. He shoved the thing aside, and yanked open the door to the attic.

The attic had changed. There was a narrow walkway to a platform against the far wall from the door, the walkway spanning a bottomless abyss. On the platform, heavy chains and cuffs hung from the wall, each link of the chain nearly an inch thick and made of heavy iron. Ansem gasped when he saw the prisoner the chains held.

Sephiroth occupied the chains, his exposed chest bruised and cut. Purpling bruises flecked across his skin gave him a mottled appearance, and the bleeding cuts on his arms and shoulders looked like they'd been caused by a whip. His long hair was matted with dried blood. Ansem darted across the walkway, and slammed into an invisible barrier.

"What the hell?" he cried. Ian appeared next to Sephiroth, and flashed Ansem a feral grin. Ian took Sephiroth's face with one hand and thrust his tongue between Sephiroth's lips. Sephiroth winced, and tried to pull away. But Ian's strength was preternaturally great, and Sephiroth was kept in place.

Ian cried out suddenly, blood running down his jaw. Sephiroth had bitten his tongue. Ian snarled and slapped Sephiroth, Sephiroth's head flying to the side from the force of the blow.

"You little shit," Ian snarled, bringing Sephiroth to face him again. "I ought to fuck you senseless for that."

"Oh, hell no!"

Ansem slammed his foot into the barrier, and it shattered like glass. Ian and Sephiroth both looked up. Relief flooded Sephiroth's face and Ian frowned.

"Hmph. Well, you win," Ian growled. "You'd better hope your friends were just as successful." The chains released Sephiroth as Ian faded away, and Sephiroth fell forward. Ansem rushed forward and caught him as the room returned to normal.

Sephiroth clung to Ansem, crying silently into Ansem's chest. Ansem held him tightly, feeling very relieved.

"What did he do to you?" he whispered.

"He beat me. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did," Sephiroth replied, knotting his fingers in Ansem's shirt. Ansem hugged him, petting Sephiroth's hair. A small sob escaped Sephiroth's lips as he buried his face in Ansem's neck. Ansem sighed softly as he slowly rocked back and forth, reveling in Sephiroth's warm form against him, and relieved he'd managed to save him.

-

Vexen reappeared down in the basement. He could see Marluxia, tied to the far wall. He started forward, but backed up almost instantly as a massive blade on a chain swung down in front of him. More of these swung down from the ceiling, forming a deadly barrier between him and Marluxia.

"Dammit!" Vexen swore. To make matters worse, the floor behind him began to crumble, leaving behind a bottomless pit. "Oh, shit." Vexen had no choice but to run forward, as the floor continued to crumble behind him. He dodged the first swinging blade, and jumped over the next.

The third caught him and flung him over the side of the narrow walkway that the floor had become. He grabbed a hold of the side, and hung there, blood running down his side, wondering if he could get to Marluxia that way.

He heard a cry from Marluxia, and started to inch along the walkway. Something shot up out of the pit and snapped at him. Vexen cried out, and swung his legs up and out of the thing's reach. The thing jumped higher, and Vexen felt its teeth graze his back.

Vexen looked up, and saw one of the blades swinging overhead. He grabbed ahold of it and allowed it to swing him back up on the walkway. He looked down at his hand. A deep cut across his palm dripped blood onto the walkway, pooling at the edge.

Vexen ran forward, careful to dodge the swinging blades. He ducked under the last one, and found Marluxia struggling to keep Ian at bay.

"Marluxia!" Vexen yelled. Ian turned and saw him, his expression turning to one of anger and exasperation. Marluxia ran forward and clung to Vexen.

"Damn! You and Ansem…" Ian snarled. "I'll have you know Marluxia wasn't going to come to any harm. He's too pretty, and I like pretty things." Vexen suppressed a shudder at the implications of Ian's statement as Ian disappeared. Slowly the room returned to normal, and Vexen and Marluxia sank to the floor, still wrapped in each other's arms.

-

A/N: And now for a cliffy! Okies, that just leaves Axel and Zexion. Righto! XD I'm so evil. Hehehe… Poor Sephy.

Anyone out there catch the "Poltergeist" references? I saw that movie, and it scared the pants off me. I did a slightly amusing little pic of my author character hiding behind Ansem while watching that. It's up on my DeviantART account if anyone wants to see it. Try my bio for the link to my page.

There's a minor reference to "Sleepy Hollow" too. Can anyone find it?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: The last chappie! Huzzah! Another finished fic for me! That makes… what, four? Waah, sorry it's late! I was supposed to update last week, but I kept forgetting. My bad.

Day 10: …But if you've got a good medium, you should be okay.

Axel stood in the center of the living room, turning around and around, trying to find Zexion. The room was completely empty, as was the room next to it. Axel looked around, and decided to try to find a way out. He was beginning to think Ian had pulled a fast one on him, since he didn't see any sign of Zexion.

He headed to the next room and paused, hearing something in the kitchen, behind the closed door. He frowned and pressed his ear to the door.

"…Should have killed you immediately. But that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?"

"You're sick. You're a sick, twisted, evil, foul little…"

"Temper, temper. We must watch our language, mustn't we?"

"Make me, you bastard."

"What did I tell you?"

There came a sound like that of someone being slapped. Axel frowned.

"I'm still a little sore over my defeat earlier. Your precious lover managed to torch me, didn't he? I still have the marks from that. I shall have to do something about it."

Axel heard a slight growl behind him. He turned, and covered his mouth with a shaking hand.

Another of the horrible things stood behind him, this one slightly different from the one that had fought Ansem. Its jaws were lined with row upon row of vicious, needle-like fangs, a yellowish fluid dripping from the upper row. Its skull was stretched out so that it had a muzzle rather than a regular face, swaying back and forth on a long neck.

Its stretched arms were planted firmly on the ground, the elbows rising up to brush the ceiling. Its legs, also grotesquely stretched, were bent back like those of a dog. Its tailbone was drawn out as well, the bones cracking as it twitched back and forth.

Axel gasped as his eyes locked with the thing's black pits where eyes should have been. He swallowed, and backed against the wall. The thing advanced slowly on its stretched limbs, hissing softly. It lashed out with its clawed hands, catching Axel on the shoulder. He cried out as he hit the wall.

Meanwhile, Zexion could hear the battle, but could do nothing, imprisoned as he was. Ian had tied him to a pole in the middle of the room. Ian himself reappeared.

"Your lover's not doing very well," he sneered, laughing horribly. "Would you like to watch?" Without waiting for a reply, Ian waved his hand. The wall became translucent, and Zexion could see everything that was happening to Axel.

Axel was not doing very well at all. He was bleeding from numerous cuts, including one above his eyebrow. The beast once again slammed him into the wall, and his face twisted in pain.

"Axel!" Zexion cried. He strained hard on the ropes, praying for them to give way. To his surprise they did, falling loosely about his feet. He glared at Ian. "What the hell are you doing?" he snarled.

"Giving you a chance to help your lover, you fool," Ian snapped. "Stop being so mistrustful." The wall disappeared, and Axel flew through the air to crash into Zexion. They both fell over.

"Zexion!" Axel cried as he rolled over, seeing who was under him. He hastily got up, and pulled Zexion to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zexion said. "But you aren't." Axel shrugged and turned, hearing the creature hiss. "What is that thing?"

"I don't know."

The creature lashed out at them and they sprang away.

"Can we kill it?" Zexion yelled.

"Maybe, but I don't know how!" Axel replied. The two were forced to separate as the creature came for them again. Zexion leapt onto the creature's back, grabbing its arms. It screeched, and Axel fastened around its neck. With their combined weight, the spindly thing was unable to stay standing. It toppled over with another screech, and Zexion and Axel both stomped hard on its neck. Its neck broke with an audible snap, and the thing's head flopped over.

It disappeared, and the kitchen resumed its normal appearance. Axel and Zexion heaved sighs of relief as they sank to the floor and collapsed against each other.

Their relief was short-lived however, as the room tilted and spun, slipping into nothingness.

The room reappeared shortly thereafter, but it was the swirling alternate dimension they'd been in before. This time, Marluxia, Sephiroth, and Zexion were there as well.

"What happened to you?" everyone asked at once. Everyone, that is, except Ansem and Sephiroth. They weren't paying attention to anyone. Sephiroth was leaning against Ansem, who was tenderly stroking his hair. Sephiroth looked content, his eyes half-closed, and Ansem rested his head against Sephiroth's.

They looked like the utter embodiment of unconditional love.

Axel glanced over at them, and smiled. He nudged Zexion and pointed. Zexion also smiled, and slipped his hand in Axel's. Vexen and Marluxia also looked and smiled, Vexen wrapping an arm around Marluxia's shoulders and pulling him close.

_Such a tender moment. I hate to interrupt, but I have a house to destroy._

Everyone started at the sound of Ian's voice. He reappeared in the middle of the space again, grinning maliciously.

"A lesson in demolition aesthetics, you see," he said, pacing around the six. "I was lying before. I'm going to destroy the house anyway, and I don't need any help from anyone."

"You bastard," Marluxia snarled. Ian turned to him.

"You'd do best to keep your mouth shut," he said sternly. "I almost had you before Vexen saved you, and it would be so easy to steal you back."

Marluxia didn't reply, but a slightly haunted look came into his eyes. Vexen hugged him close.

_I don't think so._

Everyone, Ian included, looked around as Tobias' voice rang through the space. He also appeared in the center of the room, right next to Ian.

"Blade!" Ian gasped.

"Not quite," Tobias said. "He was my great-grandfather. I have heard from many people that I am like a carbon copy of Blade, however, so your mistake is forgivable."

"What? Blade Harper was childless!" Ian snarled, hands clenching.

"Not quite," Tobias said again. "He had a bastard son by a woman who lived on the edges of the town, who, incidentally, was a witch."

"Lily? Hah," Ian scoffed.

"True. That son was Tobias, my grandfather. I am Tobias Harper the third. I live in Sussex in Blade's old manor," Tobias said. "And my great-grandmother's powers have been passed down the line. They also mixed with the powers of Blade Harper to create three powerful clairvoyants and one telekinetic of notable power. Me."

"Impossible!"

Tobias smiled, and waved his hand lightly. "Blade was a telekinetic of mediocre power, but when combined with the powers of Lily, as well as a few latent genes, they were amplified considerably in me." Ian flew through the air and struck the wall. Tobias waved his hand again, and Ian flew forwards and back again. Tobias waved his hand like a conductor, and Ian was slammed into the wall over and over.

"Had enough?" Tobias asked calmly.

Ian slumped down, panting heavily. He looked up at Tobias, and bared his teeth.

"You cannot beat me!" he snarled, his teeth lengthening. Tobias frowned slightly, looking somewhat perturbed. Ian's back arched, and his shoulders began to broaden. His arms expanded and stretched; he cried out as the vertebrae in his neck began to stretch. His lower jaw jutted out, and his upper jaw soon followed, giving him a muzzle. His legs stretched as a pair of horrible, bony wings ripped out of his back with a spray of blood. His neck cracked, and his head shot down briefly.

Ian's head snapped up again to stare at Tobias, his eyes dark pits. He now resembled one of the creatures.

"You are a fool to challenge me!" he snarled, his voice sounding both bassy and high-pitched, as though two people were speaking at once.

"Stay behind me," Tobias warned the others. Ansem and Sephiroth, however, stood.

"We won't leave you to fight him alone," Ansem said.

"Besides, you're not the only one with powers," Sephiroth said as Axel stood.

"Ditto," he said. Zexion, Vexen, and Marluxia also rose.

"We aren't as helpless as you think," Vexen said.

"What can you do?" Tobias asked, watching Ian warily.

"We've got two pyrokinetics, two precognitists, and a lycanthrope," Axel replied.

"Who's what?" Tobias asked.

"Pyrokinetic," Marluxia said, pointing to Axel and Sephiroth. "Precogs," (here he pointed to Zexion, Vexen, and himself) "and the lycanthrope." He indicated Ansem. Tobias raised his eyebrows.

"You're a werewolf?" he asked. "Or is there a specific difference between werewolves and lycanthropes?"

"Lycanthropes can transform whenever they feel like it," Ansem replied. "I haven't tried in about two years." Tobias nodded, and turned back to Ian.

"Transform now," he said. "As fast as you can."

Ansem nodded and closed his eyes. He gasped slightly, bending forward somewhat as his ribs started to shift around. He doubled over as his spine began to lengthen. Within the space of about a minute, a large silver wolf stood where Ansem had been previously.

"That _was_ fast," Tobias said in awe, turning to look at him. A fireball exploded behind him, and he whipped around to find Ian with a large burn on his front. Axel stood not far away, palm smoking. He smirked. Sephiroth joined him, and the two released a pillar of flames that enveloped Ian in a roaring inferno. The flames died, and the smoking form of Ian was slumped on the ground. Sephiroth and Axel turned and high-fived each other.

"He's getting up!" Zexion warned. The others turned and saw that Ian was stirring feebly. Shakily, he stood, and charged forward.

"Ansem, your left!" Vexen called. The silver wolf sprang aside just as Ian raised a needle-like arm and slammed it into the ground. Ansem howled loudly, and leapt at Ian, burying his fangs in one of Ian's wings. Ian screeched, and Axel and Sephiroth took the opportunity to loose a few fireballs in his mouth. Reeling with pain, Ian rose up briefly on his legs, still screeching loudly as his mouth smoked.

"Ansem, jump off!" Marluxia cried urgently. Ansem released Ian and leapt aside, only moments before one of Ian's claws stabbed back at him. Ian screamed as he hit his wing instead of Ansem. Tobias waved his hand, and Ian was once again flung into the wall. This time, his impact was accompanied by a loud cracking noise. Ian's wings, broken in half, hung limply from his shoulders.

Ian screeched again. "You little insects!" he roared, making everyone present clap their hands over their ears. Ansem's ears flattened against his head and he howled loudly. Marluxia started somewhat, a look of dawning comprehension on his face.

"Quick! Do as I say!" he yelled. Zexion and Vexen also started, the same looks of comprehension crossing their faces. "Ansem, when I say so, bite Ian's neck! Sephiroth, Axel, when I give the signal, torch him like before!"

"What about Ansem?" Sephiroth exclaimed.

"Trust me!" Marluxia insisted. Zexion and Vexen nodded. "Now, Ansem!" Ansem sprang forward, sinking his teeth deep in Ian's neck. Ian screeched, his mouth opening wide. Marluxia ran forward, followed by Zexion and Vexen. They each grabbed one of Ian's limbs, pulling them out straight, forcing Ian down onto his stomach. Ian squawked as he smashed into the ground.

"Tobias, help! Ansem, let go!" Marluxia said as he ducked Ian's free arm. Ansem jumped clear as Tobias waved his hand, snapping Ian's arm and leaving it dangling limp and useless. "Axel, Sephiroth, aim for his head! Now!"

Axel and Sephiroth fired massive fireballs at Ian's head, and the flames quickly ate at his skin and flesh, spreading to all parts of his body. Marluxia, Vexen, and Zexion released Ian and ran back, watching as Ian gave one final screech, and his smoking form fell to the ground. He tried to stand again, but he slipped and fell. Slowly, the flames consumed him, leaving him a pile of ash. Tobias heaved a great sigh.

"He's gone for good," he said, collapsing to his knees. There was a bright flash of light, and they all stood in the living room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no Ian, no pile of ash. Ansem turned back into his human form, and Sephiroth embraced him tightly. Axel and Zexion shared a deep kiss, and Vexen and Marluxia collapsed against each other. Tobias closed his eyes and smiled.

-

"You know what?"

"What, love?"

"I think, despite everything, I'll miss this place."

Ansem stood in the driveway to the house, a few strands of hair drifting around his face from the wind.

Sakkaku and Tobias had returned to England the day before, and the others were moving out of the house, despite Ian's defeat. Cloud, Aerith, and the rest of those who'd been on the road trip had come and gone, taking their belongings with them. Vexen and Marluxia had headed to California. Axel and Zexion had decided to move to the New England area, professing a desire to see more ghosts.

And Ansem and Sephiroth were moving to Inverness, on the shores of Loch Ness.

Sephiroth smiled affectionately at Ansem. He shut the door to his truck, and walked up to Ansem, putting an arm around his lover's shoulders. He kissed Ansem, linking their fingers together. They parted, and Ansem smiled, before embracing Sephiroth.

"I'll miss it too," Sephiroth said. "I liked sleeping in the attic. And even though they got annoying sometimes, the others all kept things interesting. And I'll bet old Ben'll be bored with no one around." They looked up at the attic window. Ansem could have sworn that he saw the figure of a handless monk looking down at them.

Hand in hand, the two lovers walked to Sephiroth's truck and drove away from the house. Ansem glanced behind him at the house slipping into the distance. He smiled, realizing that despite (or because of) everything they'd been through, he and Sephiroth were closer than ever before.

He owed the house and all of its ghosts for that.

-End.

A/N: Yep, the end of another fic! Yay, I've got another finished fic in my repertoire! Go me! This sure had a jerky update-sequence, didn't it? Two sabbaticals and four chapters after the first… damn…. At least it's done.

If anyone's wondering how Ansem ended up a lycanthrope, watch for a fic of mine called "Okamiotoko", a oneshot prequel kind of a thing that takes place sort of before Ansem and Sephiroth were lovers (even though they end up lovers shortly after the fic starts).

I sort of insinuated a few sequels, there, didn't I? Well, maybe I'll do something with Vexen, Marluxia, Axel, and Zexion, since there're so few fics with those pairings. Of course, this is the ONLY VexenxMarluxia fic out there anyway, and there's only one other AxelxZexion. I think after "Okamiotoko" I'll lay off the AnsemxSephiroth for a while.

Anyway, yay! I actually finished a fic! I owed a lot to "Poltergeist", the Korean manga "Rebirth", and even "Sleepy Hollow" for the completion of this fic. So arigatou to Kangwoo Lee, Tim Burton, and Steven Spielberg! I'll see you all in "Okamiotoko" and the possible sequels to this! Rock on!


End file.
